Oh look, Thanksgiving is coming up!

     Where did the time go? I have been working on my secret NaGa DeMon (National Game Design Month) and time just seems to be move too fast. Today I pause for the 51st anniversary of Doctor Who, happy that I now own a custom Pat Troughton sonic screwdriver. It is a welcome addition to my costume that I hope to improve for next year's Con on the Cob!

Troughton's sonic was basically a penlight.

Being black and white, the color of his sonic isn't clear, so I went with red. Pretty spiffy, eh?

     Pete Spahn at Barrel Rider Games is running a project through Indie Gogo, a class compendium for Labyrinth Lord. Pete Spahn puts out some great OSR content and this is shaping up to be amazing. Five dollars gets you a pdf of the compendium, and ten gets you that and extra pdf's. Check it out here. This upcoming year, I would love to run Dwimmermount at my flgs (Ravenstone), and in addition to the standard pregens, I may have some from the aforementioned compendium. More on that in the time leading up to the new year.

     Well, take care and see you all later!

Con on the Cob 2014!!

    

Tim, Ken, and Dave

     Things have been busy around here with conventions, artwork and real life taking my time. Last weekend was Con the Cob 2014, and man was it fun. I ran two scheduled games plus a pick up game, and played in two games. I arrived Thursday just in time to run my first game, Dwimmermount using Labyrinth Lord. Three people showed up including Tim shorts (Gothridge Manor), Ken H. (Rusty Battleaxe), and Dave (Forgotten Runes). The session went well, the group made two forays into the dungeon, their characters needed a break midway through the session. Just before the end, one of them got a bit greedy and died from a trap. Later that evening I got to play in Tim Snider's (Savage Afterworld) Death in the Dust Cryptworld game. The Pacesetter system is amazing, plus Tim runs a fantastic game. Our Pc's were investigating an old mining town being turned into a theme park(?) where terrible vandalism has taken place. A couple friends of mine joined me, as well as Tim Shorts and Ken H. Everyone had a great time, if you have a chance to play in a game run by Mr. Snider then I highly recommend it.

     Now, before I get into Friday, I should talk about two important aspects of the dealer's room. Tim Snider was manning the Goblinoid Games/Pacesetter booth and Roy Snider was in charge of the Goodman Games booth. From Tim I acquired Rotworld and Time Master, and from Roy I worked on completing my DCC fanzine collection, I'll write more about what I got later.

     First thing Friday, I played in Tim's Thundarr the Barbarian game. I got to play the mokk in training,Oosoo the mokk. My die rolls fit in with the neophyte angle, since I couldn't make any decent rolls. Oddly I was the only person to damage Thundarr. Thankfully my luck turned around and I dealt the final blow to the villain. Next I ran Mutant Future for four, this was one of the scheduled games but apparently I talked it enough that they were all my friends. We had a great time as they explored the last tower of Ol' Bus, scavenging for supplies and artifacts.

My friends Jason, Chuck

Mysti and Derrick

     I was really looking forward to Saturday, since that was when I would unveil my Patrick Troughton second Doctor costume.

Wow, look at those pants! The next thing I was looking forward to was three of my friends (Jason, Chuck and Derrick) wanted to play Dwimmermount. I had my notes from the previous game, since my plan was to run subsequent games as if they had occurred in real time (ie. doors that were battered down would be that way, dead monsters would be laying wherever they fell) Ironically the entered a different way and therefore it never came into play. It was lots of fun and ended on a tpk.

     Con on the Cob, once again, was awesome. This year even more so, and I will be back next year, definitely running games again. Hopefully showing some artwork as well.

Enemy of the World, at last!!

     So finally, The Enemy of the World can be viewed by the masses! I had read the novelization, wonderfully penned by Ian Marter, so when I heard it had been discovered I was excited. The chance to see Troughton playing the treacherous Salamander as well as the Doctor, and it was worth the wait! All involved do a wonderful job, from David Whitaker's script to Cristopher Pemsel's design work. Amazingly nothing disappoints and Barry Letts, who would later produce Jon Pertwee's era, does a great job directing the action. My most favorite part is seeing Troughton pulling off two different characterizations, moving from Salamander to the Doctor, really amazing!!

     The story starts on an Australian beach, with the Doctor taking a swim while Jamie and Victoria look on in amusement. Soon they become victims of mistaken identity, eventually being taken to a man named Giles Kent. He is looking for a way to prove that Ramon Salamander is not the humanitarian philanthropist he claims to be, and the Doctor may be the key to making that happen. There is intrigue, bluffs, twists and turns. When you think you have it figured out, something new pops up and, though it is a six part story, the pacing does not drag. The climax is exciting, but is resolved a bit quickly for my taste.

     It is available on iTunes currently, and BBC plans to release the dvd November 25, 2013. If you are a classic Doctor Who fan, this will be a welcome addition to your collection. Let me know what you think!

Doctor Who: thoughts on twelve

     Here we are, less than three hours away from the big announcement of who will be the next Doctor! I am really excited, but I have no opinion on who it should be. That may be because I am here in the States and am a bit unfamiliar with some of the "contenders", though I recognize three. It is hard to pick one, since this part is really unlike anything these actors have done, and when someone gets it, they usually do a 180 bring something different to it, even if they are modelling off an earlier incarnation.

     Hartnell was known for tough guy parts, but when he played a down on his luck sports agent Verity Lambert knew he could pull it off. Patrick Troughton had a several film and television roles, but nothing major. One idea Troughton had was to play it as a "Tough sea captain", but thankfully Sydney Newman (creator of Doctor Who) suggested he play it as a "Cosmic hobo, in the mold of Charlie Chaplan." Jon Pertwee was known for his comedic roles, such as Chief Petty Officer Pertwee in The Navy Lark. His first couple of seasons in the role found him playing it very serious. Tom Baker was almost an unknown quantity at the time of his casting, and has gone on record stating he played the role as himself. Peter Davison had only a few television roles, the biggest being Tristan from All Creatures Great and Small. At the time he was the youngest person cast as the Doctor (he was 29 at the time) and very unlike his predecessor. Colin Baker also was in only a few television roles, his most notable being Paul Merroney from The Brothers and Bayban the Butcher in Blake's 7. Visually a train wreck (and yet so eighties), he played it very alien to the point of violence (accidental at times) and a lot of arguing. Number seven, Sylvester McCoy was known primarily as a comedy actor with a vaudevillian flair, some of which he brought to the role (spoon playing) but once he settled in he played it with a dark thoughtfulness.

     Unfortunately I am unfamiliar with the story behind Paul McGann's casting. I thought he played the part well, and continues to do so in the Big Finish audio dramas. Mr. Eccleston was a big name that helped bring legitimacy to the rebooted program, at times comedic and other times deadly serious.While David Tenant had a bit of a following, it was Doctor Who that really made his name as an actor.Matt Smith was a relative unknown, but is insanely popular now as we move towards number Twelve!

     Any opinions out there, I personally would be excited if Idris Elba got the role, guess we will see soon. Take care.